PETA files complaint over escaped University of Iowa goat

CORALVILLE - Five days have elapsed since a University of Iowa research goat escaped the institution's research park in Coralville, and animal activists are calling for a federal investigation and sanctuary for the goat - once it's found.

'Goats are intelligent, inquisitive and curious animals who enjoy exploring, jumping and playing,” according to a letter that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent Tuesday to UI President Bruce Harreld.

'They live in complex social groups and are long-lived,” according to the letter. 'Like you, they enjoy being outside, hiking, and running.”

In addition to PETA's letter to Harreld, the organization Tuesday filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture accusing the university of violating the Animal Welfare Act and calling for an investigation.

The complaint cites a section of the act requiring research facilities to ensure workers are qualified to perform their duties and another section requiring entities to move animals without causing suffering or injury. PETA alleges the university failed to ensure that 'personnel are qualified to perform their duties” and that 'the primary enclosure contained the goat securely.”

'It is unclear whether the goat sustained any injuries as a result of the escape or whether the goat will be safely captured,” according to the PETA letter sent to Robert Gibbens, regional director of animal care for the USDA. 'However, as it appears that the goat is still at large, it would seem that he spent more than 96 hours exposed to Coralville's freezing temperatures, alone, frightened, and consumed; and very likely, hungry and thirsty.”

UI officials notified the public of the goat's escape Friday, saying it fled a portable carrier just before 9 a.m. that day at the UI Research Park along Oakdale Boulevard. The animal, which was being transferred to a vehicle for relocation to a housing facility, last was seen near Brown Deer Golf Course late Friday morning, according to a UI news release.

In a news release Tuesday, the university reported several sightings of the goat since Friday, mostly north of the research park and as far east as the Dubuque Street neighborhoods near the Coralville Dam area, about eight miles away.

Officials with the university's Office of Animal Resources, who have been searching the area daily, report the goat might be approaching the housing developments and farms in the southeast North Liberty area near 12th Avenue, and the university encouraged North Liberty residents to report any sightings.

The city of North Liberty used social media Tuesday to disseminate the message, which included a description of the goat - a male, cream-and-white goat, weighing about 125 pounds, and appearing about the size of a small deer.

According to the news release, UI veterinarians believe the goat might be looking for food and shelter in residential areas, as it has most often been spotted on front porches or rear patios. It poses no health risk, according to the university, and it's in 'excellent health.”

But Alka Chandna, senior laboratory oversight specialist with PETA, told The Gazette her organization isn't so sure that's still the case.

'We can only guess how well he will be able to survive in the woods and in the area where he escaped,” Chandna said. 'Who knows whether he will be able to find food and water?”

Chandna referenced snow and sleet blanketing Eastern Iowa on Tuesday.

'What we are very concerned about - on top of the escape, which is a violation of federal law - is the further distress and suffering that could come to this animal,” she said.

In her letter to Harreld, Chandna requested the president use his authority to 'have the goat transferred to an accredited sanctuary, should he be safely captured.”

The university responded to PETA's letter on Tuesday, saying, 'We share your concern for its well-being and are working diligently to recover the animal as safely and as quickly as possible.”

UI officials said they reported the incident to funding agencies and regulatory bodies, in compliance with federal law. The Office of Research and Economic Development, which oversees the Office of Animal Resources, has suspended activities in the lab responsible for the goat pending further investigation.

A UI spokesman Stephen Pradarelli described that as an 'administrative action to provide the university with adequate time to understand what happened, talk with the parties involved, review policies and practices, and develop clear recommendations to ensure this doesn't happen again.”

He said animals in the lab will continue to be cared for while this process unfolds.

The missing goat, which the university acquired for $1,009.58 from a local farm as an adult in September, was being used for orthopedic research.

The USDA's Animal Care Information System shows the University of Iowa in the 2015 budget year used 1,659 animals in research, including 20 goats. Officials said the university now has 14 goats - including the one at large.

The goats, according to the federal agency, were used in experiments that involved pain but for which pain medication was administered.

In PETA's letter and complaint, it claims this is 'the second time in six months that a goat has escaped from the research park,” and Chandna told The Gazette that reveals a flaw in the university's system and training.

But UI officials said the institution never before has lost one of its research animals, and the past incident PETA is referencing involved a privately owned pet.

Still, PETA is asking the USDA 'to take swift and decisive action that includes assessing a civil penalty against the university” if violations are found.

'The public needs the university to look at their transportation procedures to make sure this doesn't happen again,” Chandna said.